Screen Shot 2014-04-03 at 10.43.26 AMGraph provided by mercurynews.com

The storm cycle that recently impacted the Tahoe area dropped over 5 feet of snow. Sounds like a lot, but sadly the snowpack is at just 38% of normal. The measurements, taken on April 1st of each year, are typically the peak of snowpack in the Sierra. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) reported a statewide average of just 32% of average.

This season has been abysmal for California skiers and snowboarders. Back in January, the snowpack in the Sierra was at just 12% of average, the lowest on record. The DWR reported that even if California receives sustained rain and snowfall in the Sierra for the rest of the season it still won’t end the drought.

With a below average snowpack many Californians are bracing for what could be a hot and dry summer. “We’re already seeing farmland fallowed and cities scrambling for water supplies,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “We can hope that conditions improve, but time is running out and conservation is the only tool we have against nature’s whim.”

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